Orta was a Bajoran terrorist in the 2360s.

Orta was captured, interrogated and tortured by members of the Cardassian Union. His torture included the severing of his vocal cords and, as a result, Orta was forced to use an embedded voice synthesizer in his neck for the rest of his life. Eventually, he became the leader of a group of Bajoran Resistance fighters.

Later, in 2368, the Cardassians tried to frame him for an attack on a Federation colony. The Cardassians were hoping to manipulate the Federation into eliminating the Bajoran freedom fighters. The plot was exposed when Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Ensign Ro Laren after meeting with Orta discovered that he did not have the resources to carry out such an attack. He and his followers were saved when the ship they were suppose to be on which was destroyed by Cardassians was really a remote decoy ship. (TNG: "Ensign Ro")

Orta later appeared on a "wanted poster" in Odo's security office in 2370. (DS9: "Vortex", "If Wishes Were Horses", "The Forsaken", "Dramatis Personae", "Duet", "In the Hands of the Prophets", "Sanctuary")